A Place to Belong
by My Beautiful Ending
Summary: The second in the A Way Through the Worlds Trilogy. Rose Tyler is left on a beach in Norway for the second time... and the world isn't as healed as they had thought. She's got to save the world and get back to the Doctor, and she knows that Olivia Dunham is just the person she needs to help her -because they both know that this isn't where they belong. A Fringe crossover.
1. Heavy Heart to Carry

**A Way through the Worlds, Part II: A Place to Belong**

_"I was a heavy heart to carry, my beloved was weighed down"_

Rose Tyler had decided a long time ago that she wasn't going to hate beaches or Norway in general just because that was where she last saw the Doctor. But _honestly_, couldn't he have landed somewhere else?

"This is the parallel universe, right?" Rose asked, looking at the Doctor. She felt a funny feeling in her stomach.

"You're back home," the Doctor said. She had to squint against the sun to see him, but she knew that look on his face. The I-don't-like-this-but-I'm-gonna-have-to-do-it-anyway-because-of-[insert dire reason here] face. _This isn't home, _a tiny voice in her head protested silently.

"And the walls of the worlds are closing again, now that the Reality Bomb never happened," Donna said, smiling with her hands in her pockets. "It's dimentional retroclosure." She tilted her head to the side. "See, I really get that stuff now."

"No, but –" she wished her voice would stop wavering " –I spend all that time trying to find you. I'm not goin' back now!"

"But you've got to," the Doctor said gravely, walking up to her. "Because we saved the universe, but at a cost. And the cost is him," the Doctor went on, staring over her shoulder at the metacrisis. Rose didn't need to look behind her to tell that that's who it was. "He destroyed the Daleks; he committed genocide. He's too dangerous to be left on his own."

She stared up into his face, not understanding. _What does that have to do with the fact that I have to stay here? To –to go back, when I'm not even sure I can, really –I never got to tell you–_

"You made me," the metacrisis snapped.

"Exactly, you were born in battle. Full of blood and anger and revenge." The Doctor's gaze turned back to Rose. _"_Remind you of someone?"

_Everything dies,_ the voice whispered in her head as Dalek ships disintegrated into golden dust. Her fingers tingled, and Rose swallowed. _I have to tell him. _She opened her mouth.

"That's me, when we first met," the Doctor said, and Rose blinked, extremely confused. "And you made me _better_. Now you can do the same for him."

_That's your reason?_ She thought incredulously. "But he's not _you,_" said, staring at him intently.

"He needs you. That's _very_ me."

_But don't you need me still?_ Rose thought. _Or do you not anymore?_

"But it's _better_ than that, though," Donna said, smiling and nodding. "Don't you see what he's trying to give you? Tell her, go on!" she commanded the metacrisis Doctor.

Rose's eyes seemed to try to take in Donna smiling at her, the TARDIS standing bold and blue, and the Doctor gazing at her like he knew something she didn't all at once, in an attempt to preserve the image in her mind.

_Does he know?_ Rose wondered. _Has he guessed? How can he be trying to get me to stay if he knows?_

She had a feeling that if she stopped looking at the Doctor, something horrible would happen. But an unseen force within her made her turn and face the metacrisis.

He took in a deep breath and began to explain. "I look like him, I think like him… same memories, same everything. Except I've only got one heart."

"Which means?" Rose asked, still confused.

"I'm half human," he said, and she couldn't explain the twist in her gut. "Only one life to live."

She was intrigued in spite of herself. "Really?" she said, staring at his chest.

"Yep. Regular human heartbeat. Go on," he said.

Rose hesitantly placed a hand over where his heart should be, and sure enough, felt the steady ka-thunk, ka-thunk of one heart instead of the ba-ba-ba-boom of a Time Lord double heartbeat. She had an idea now, of what they were all proposing. She couldn't deny that she pictured it, for a second –the way it would be to live a regular human life with the Doctor. And it had a certain appeal, but… _Why do they assume that that's what I want?_

She stared up into the metacrisis' face, but he wasn't looking at her.

The TARDIS dematerializing noise started up, and Rose's head whipped around. "No!" she yelled, beginning to run after it, but strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and held tight. "Let go!" she wailed, flailing at the metacrisis, but as the TARDIS faded, she sobbed and sagged against him, burying her face in her hands.

She could hear him whispering, "I'm sorry, Rose, I'm sorry," over and over again as he held her, but she knew that wasn't going to make it all right.

_Coward. Every time._

* * *

Jackie had called Pete –after threatening to slap the Metacrisis Doctor within an inch of his life –and Pete had arranged transport home on a zeppelin. Rose had taken a deep breath and called the waterworks to a halt. _I'm stronger than this,_ she told herself. _For three years I lived over here. I know I can live my life without the Doctor._

_But I don't _want_ to._

She sat at the window and stared at the changing landscape as the scene at Bad Wolf Bay played itself out over and over again in her head. She didn't feel like crying anymore –there was just a dead space in her chest, heavy like a stone.

She glanced over to see Jackie chatting amiably with the other passengers, occasionally shooting comforting glances her way. The Metacrisis Doctor sat a few seats over, staring avidly out at the landscape and at the passengers in the zeppelin.

Rose rubbed her face and took a deep breath before getting up and crossing to the seats in front of the human Doctor.

His eyebrows shot up as she sat down in front of him, but Rose spoke first. "I –understand, why he did all this, why _you_ did, up to a point." She frowned. "But only if I start with the assumption that you and I had to be left here in this Universe. I want to know _why."_

"Well, he's right, sort of," the human Doctor said. "Maybe I am a loose cannon. But this universe needs a Doctor." He shrugged. "Can't have two doctors in the same Universe, can we? That'd _really _send it into fits," he reflected. "So, that's me."

"But what about me? Why'd he do that?" Rose pressed.

The human Doctor looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"I'm not mad at you," Rose said. "I'm not really angry at him, either, just –frustrated and… confused. I just want to _know._"

"Rose…" he said, and it felt so strange to hear her name on his lips. "He makes mistakes. I'm him; take my word for it." He looked at her kindly. "He's lost so much, and it causes him so much pain… he would rather have you safe over here than with him and always be fearing that he was going to lose you again, or watch you age while he only regenerated. He's not strong enough. Not for that."

"But that's not his decision to make!" Rose said strongly.

"I know," the Human Doctor said sadly.

"And you went along with it?" she asked.

"He made me promise," the human Doctor said. "He asked me to look after you, and I will do."

"So he just swanned off, thinking he knows what's best for everyone, not even botherin' to ask me," Rose said, feeling a bit of dread coil in her stomach.

"You mustn't be too hard on him," the human Doctor said. "He does make mistakes, and maybe this was one of them, but…Rose, he's still going to lose someone." The look on his face made her heart crumble.

"Donna?" Rose whispered, staring at him.

He nodded once.

"But –_why_?" Rose asked.

"A Time Lord consciousness in a human brain? The knowledge will kill her," he said. "He'll have to take it away. She won't be dead, but she won't remember him."

"So –he'll be alone? But he'll find someone, yeah? He always finds someone," Rose said, grasping at straws.

The Human Doctor stared at her sadly and said nothing.

The dread grew. "He's not going to, is he?" Rose asked softly, accent getting thicker as she got more emotional. "Because 'e doesn't want to get 'urt again. And you let 'im? You jus'…_ let_ 'im?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and she wanted to yell, wanted to scream at him to _stop saying that_, but the look on his face, one of immense heartbreak, stopped her. She couldn't, no matter how hurt she was.

In a way, she was relieved to go when Jackie called out, "Rose, come and have some supper! These zeppelins have great chips and sandwiches, but you don't really expect that, I mean you'd think their food would be like cafeteria food but actually…"

Her mum's words became a comforting hum in the background of her brain as she ate the chips (which actually were good) and thought.

_The cracks in the universe are now healed, _Rose thought to herself._ So there's no way we could… no way _I _could get back. So I suppose I go back to working for Torchwood, defending the Earth. But my whole goal before was to discover some way to get back to the Doctor. So what do I do now? _

Her brown eyes flickered over to the Metacrisis Doctor, who was chatting animatedly with Jackie, perfectly willing to talk about her husband and her two-year-old boy.

_It's not… I mean, it's possible to be happy like this,_ Rose thought. Her parents were testimony to that. Jackie knew that Pete wasn't the Pete she had loved and married in her original universe, and Pete knew the same about Jackie. But they still fell in love all over again, and it was working. It really was.

_Suppose I could_, Rose thought to herself, watching the Metacrisis out of the corner of her eye. _Suppose it could work out. It took me a while to adjust when I saw him regenerate the first time, but I did it, and I loved him all the more. I could… I could_ try_…_

_But he's still out there; the original Doctor, and he's in pain, and he's hurting, and… I don't know how I could live my life knowing that._

She wished that choices could be more black and white.

* * *

Pete came to pick them up at the zeppelin docks, and Rose fell into his arms. They had formed a good relationship during the three years of being over here. Rose liked to think he had been practicing at being a dad so that when Tony was born he already had a good bit of experience. But he was a really good dad, and the strangeness of suddenly acquiring a daughter that was pretty much grown and a baby kind of at the same time hadn't fazed him as much as she had expected it to.

"Your mum filled me in," Pete whispered into her ear. "You okay?"

Rose pulled back from the hug and disguised the wobble in her chin with a quick nod. "Yeah," she said. "It's just… I dunno. I'm havin' to rethink everything now."

"You'll pull through," Pete said. "You're the strongest woman I know, next to your mother."

Rose had to laugh at that. "I think that's the first time you've called me a woman," she said.

"Well, enjoy it, because it may not happen very frequently. You'll always be my girl," Pete told her with a grin.

"Yeah," Rose said softly.

Pete gave Jackie a quick kiss and said, "Tony's with a babysitter. And I've got the car; we'll be home in no time."

"Oh, good!" Jackie said. "I could use a little piece and quiet, after all we've been through. Oh, Pete, this is –um," Jackie said, fishing for words. She addressed the metacrisis. "Well, what d'we call you? Doctor as well?"

"I call me the Doctor," he assured her. "That seems to work."

"Well, there you have it," Jackie said. "The Doctor."

"With a little dash of Donna thrown in," The Doctor said, grinning.

Pete shook his hand firmly and then led them to the car. During the ride, the human Doctor and Pete discussed history and recent improvements made in the parallel universe, and Jackie put her two cents in once in a while. Rose didn't know how tired she was until she fell asleep listening to them. Pete had to carry her to her room once they got home.

* * *

Sunlight streaming in through her bedroom window woke Rose up in the morning. She started to get out of bed, discounting the strange buzz in her ears and the funny vision problems. The smell of breakfast wafted upstairs from the kitchen, and it made her stomach rumble. It had been quite some time since the supper on the zeppelin. She got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and ran a brush through her hair before heading towards the smell, letting her nose guide her.

"Morning," she said, walking into the kitchen. "What?"

Jackie was staring at her like she had seen a ghost, and only a quick save from Pete rescued her coffee cup from shattering on the floor. The human Doctor stared at her with shocked and fascinated eyes. Tony was the only one acting normal; he had upset his bowl again.

"Oh, Rose, I thought it had stopped!" her mother cried. "I thought you were going to get the Doctor to make it stop!"  
"What is it?" Rose asked, frightened from the reactions she was getting.

"Rose, your eyes," Pete said grimly.

Rose whirled to stare at her reflection in the window glass. Her eyes were a molten yellow color, and they glowed.

* * *

**AN: Wahoo! It's finally up! *does a happy dance* Just a note: this will become a crossover in the third or fourth chapter, but I've written it so that the reader hopefully won't need a whole lot of knowledge of the other show, which will be FRINGE. I'm SOOO EXCITED!  
**

**I'm still debating on whether or not I'll move this to the crossover section when the time comes, so if you want to keep track of this story, please alert it. And please review, as well.  
**

**I hope you forgive my attempt at getting Rose's accent to sound right. It sounds better in my head than it does on paper.  
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**And can I say again, Please review! :D  
**


	2. Protect your Heart

**AN: The credit for an idea used in this chapter goes to Jonn Wolfe, who thought of it before I did. Many thanks for the use! :)**_  
_

_"Are you strong enough to stand, protecting both your heart and mind?"_

"Oh, that's not good; that's not good at all," the Doctor said, getting up to peer into Rose's face. "What on earth is causing that? How long has it been going on? Why –"

"Doctor," Rose snapped, glaring with her yellow eyes. "Rude!"

He shut his gob –which seemed to be much bigger than the original Doctor's; probably something to do with Donna –and waited.

"It's been happenin' for about six months," Rose said. "Well, no. That's not the best way to start."

"And you need to eat," Jackie insisted. "Sit down, Rose. I'll dish you up some breakfast."

So as a plate of eggs and bacon and toast slid under her nose, Rose began talking, "After Bad Wolf bay –the first time, you know –I started to remember things. Things about Satellite Five, about how I got there. I remembered seeing this beautiful glow and this singing, and then the singing got inside my head and I remember just _burning_… And I can hear myself talk," she continued. "It's my voice, but it's not exactly me. It's me plus the heart of the TARDIS."

Rose took a sip of her coffee and had a few bites to eat just in case Jackie decided to scold her like she was eight for letting her food get stone cold. "I still don't remember everything. I didn't know I had brought Jack back permanently." Rose shook her head, getting rid of that tangent. "Anyway, that's not really the point. But six months or so ago, when the stars started going out and the walls between realities began to weaken –actually, right around the time we got the dimension cannon working –I started walking up like this," she said, motioning towards her face. "Don't know why. But it fades eventually."

"Why didn't you mention this?" the metacrisis demanded.

"We had bigger things to worry about at the time!" Rose snapped, and everyone flinched as the glow from her eyes intensified. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "But…yeah. Maybe I should've."

"Do you have any idea what causes it? Or what –I dunno –stops it?"

"No, and… it stopped when I was on the other side," Rose said softly. "In the TARDIS."

"Well, isn't that just _wizard,_" the metacrisis mumbled.

"But anyway, the walls are back up, the Universe is safe," Rose said, running a hand through her hair, "and we've saved the world. Why worry about me?" She was trying not to make this into a huge thing.

"Except we haven't," Pete said, folding up his newspaper.

"What?" Rose asked, turning to him.

"The degradation. It's not getting better," Pete said grimly. "I got a report from Torchwood. It's still as bad as ever in America, and spreading just like it was before."

"No, but –" Rose stammered, shocked. "He fixed it; the Doctor _fixed_ it."

Pete shook his head. "I don't know why, Rose, but the world is still falling apart." He raised an eyebrow. "Feel like coming in to Torchwood after your eyes die down, and taking a look?"

"Yeah," she said, wanting to know what the hell was going on. "Yeah, I'll do that." But she remembered about the metacrisis. "Um," she said, turning to him. "I'd take you, but…you don't have the access yet."

"We can get the ball started on it, though," Pete murmured.

"Nah, it's fine," the Doctor said, looking around. "I'll take a gander at this parallel world. Get read up on my history; take a walk. See what the –degradation, you say? –looks like from the street."

Rose breathed a silent sigh of relief. "So you'll be all right, then?"

"Yep," the metacrisis said. "Why wouldn't I be?" He raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Okay," Rose said. "Okay, good. I'll get changed and be with you in a few, dad," she told Pete. She hoped her eyes would be back to normal then.

* * *

The whoosh of air and flash of light that accompanied a vortex manipulator only lasted for a few seconds, and it left the woman standing on a lawn of a large mansion in London. She checked her wrist. Yes, these were the co-ordinates. She scanned the area, and spotted a tall, skinny man in a blue suit walking out of the house.

She smiled nostalgically. She rarely saw him this early. He still wasn't _quite_ hers, not yet, but he was getting there.

He hadn't seen her yet. He seemed rather entranced with the zeppelins up above. She got as close as two yards before hailing him with a, "Hello, Sweetie."

The reaction she got was rather astonishing. He jumped about a foot, whirled, and stared at her like he had seen a ghost. "River?" he asked in a shocked and stupefied voice.

My, he looked silly with his mouth hanging open. "Oh, good," she said, smoothing back some of her untamable curly blond hair, "We've met by now, obviously. This would have been much harder if you hadn't known me."

Her Doctor fumbled for words, finally coming up with, "River, how on earth can you be _here?_ Travel between parallel worlds isn't possible! Well, I mean, sometimes it happens, but I mean, really!"

"You're _absolutely_ right," she said, flummoxing him. She loved doing that. "It isn't possible. Not yet."

He was doing that thing again, where his mouth would move and nothing much would come out. She was _so_ glad he didn't do that later on. "You're from the future?"

"Give the man a prize," River said, smiling.

"How can you be _here_?"

"Well, you told me I was, so I came. Got to keep timelines consistent and all that," she said.

The Doctor seemed to pull himself up short. "River, I've got to tell you, I'm not –"

"What?" she said. "Not the Doctor? Not the 'real' Doctor?" She shook her head at him. "Silly man. You're _my_ Doctor, and don't _ever_ forget it."

She wondered if flies ever flew into that mouth. It certainly hung open often enough, just like now. "Right," River said, clapping her hands together, "I haven't got much time. I came to tell you that Rose is going to get some information today that's going to change things. The world still needs fixing, and you're going to be part of the go-to team, but… not for a while. Rose has to get back." She gave him a look. "She needs the Doctor and the TARDIS, and that hunk of coral in your pocket won't be enough, though it'll help."

"How did you –"

"Spoilers," River said, winking. "Must dash –I have another stop to make." She punched a few buttons on her vortex manipulator.

"River," the Doctor said, in a strange voice.

She looked up and smiled at him, with a slight sadness in her face.

"River, I'm _human,_" he said. "One heart. I can't regenerate. I'm not… I'm not your Doctor."

She walked up to him and placed a hand on the side of his face. "Yes, you are," she said strongly. "You _are._" She smiled at him, a wild, I-love-you-so-much grin. "Remember what Donna told you to do, stupid? Go grow a TARDIS. I'm sure you'll think of _something._" She stepped back and blew him a kiss. "See you soon, my love."

There was a flash of light, and she disappeared.

* * *

Rose Tyler was starting to be very irked.

She had crossed universes to find the Doctor, faced millions of Daleks, stopped the stars going out, met the flippin' Davros, for goodness' sake, and the world was _still_ going to pot.

This was _not_ acceptable, and she was _not_ amused.

"But _why_?" she asked for the seventh time, staring at the data projected on the wall.

"We don't know," Pete Tyler said. "We just don't know. The stars are back, but the world is just…dying. New reports are supposed to be available within the hour, though."

She ran a hand through her blond hair and thought of all those people trapped in amber because of the instability of the world, and shuddered. America was the awful place; England wasn't so bad, but if it continued in the way it did… it would start here. And Torchwood would need to set amber protocols in place and it would be just…. _Urgh._

"I'm gonna go get a coffee," she told her dad, leaving his office and going out into the common area. Caffeine was her cure for a lot these days, including her sleep troubles and her eyes.

As she poured herself a cup of coffee –horrible stuff really, but the rationing made it that way; Torchwood was lucky to get some at all–she forced herself not to think about how wonderful coffee and tea was over there. Things were depressing enough already.

"Mind pouring me one, too?"

Rose turned slightly to see a blond woman with very curly hair standing to her left. She had a denim jacket slung over her shoulder, and her crisp white blouse was tucked neatly into her jeans "Sure," Rose said, handing the woman the cup she had just poured and getting another for herself.

"Thanks," the woman said with a smile. "Awful stuff, isn't it?" she said, motioning towards the stats flickering across the wall.

"What, the reports or the coffee?" Rose asked jokingly.

The woman laughed, taking a sip. "Good point, Rose. Both."

Rose frowned. How did this woman know her name? Well, she supposed she had been getting a lot of fame as the only one who would step into the dimension cannon, but she was talking like they were mates or something. "Um, I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

The older blond woman smiled. "No, not yet. But one day, you and I will be very good friends, Rose Tyler."

She knew her mouth was hanging open. She tried to say something, but her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She settled for snapping her mouth closed. _I could've sworn she said 'one day', future tense. _She cleared her throat and tried again. "Sorry…what?"

"It's a bit confusing, but I've got a message for you. I've not got much time, either," the woman said. "Firstly –your father is going to come out with some new information in a bit. It's very important. You need to follow it wherever it goes. The world needs saving, and you're the one to do it."

"Why me?" Rose said. She thought she had done it already. What if she botched it again?

"Because you need to get back to the Doctor," the blond woman said. "That's reason number two."

"How do you know about the Doctor?" Rose asked, shocked. "Did he send you?" Hope rose in her chest, even though she knew it was a foolish hope.

"Not really," the woman said. "It's complicated. But you can't stay here."

"Why?" Rose demanded. There were only a lot of commands coming from this woman, and no reasons why. She didn't even know her!

Even if she did say they were going to be friends.

The woman opened her mouth, and then seemed to change her mind. "Well, you can't stay here because the long and short of it is that the Doctor over here –the metacrisis, you call him –is _my _Doctor, and frankly, I don't like sharing." She smiled.

Rose burst out laughing at the frankness of the woman's words, and the truth she felt behind them. "Now that's something I can believe!" she said. "Thanks… that really…takes a load off my mind." _I don't have to worry about him! He's well taken care of! I can get back to my Doctor!_

"I know," the woman said, smirking. "So you have to get back. And if you still don't believe me, keep your eyes open. You'll get all the proof you need." She frowned at a device on her wrist and punched a few buttons. It looked sort of familiar.

"'Kay," Rose said. "It's all a bit…weird, but…I believe you. I'm used to weird."

They shared understanding grins. "Got to go," the woman said.

"You never told me your name," Rose said. "Or how we're gonna get to be really great friends. But I'm assuming that I do fix it… since you're from the future, right?"

The woman winked at her. "Spoilers. And my name is River Song." She disappeared in a flash of light.

_That was a bit flash, _Rose thought to herself, staring at the spot where the woman had stood. She noticed she had taken the coffee with her.

"Rose!" Pete said, over the hubbub of the Torchwood workroom. "Latest in from America! I think we might be getting somewhere at last!"

_You need to follow it wherever it goes…_

She straightened her spine and followed her dad into his office. If she was gonna save the world (again), she'd need to know all the facts.

* * *

**AN: Thank you so much to you reviewers and alerters! It means a lot to me! :) The idea I borrowed involved River, in case anyone was interested. Please review again!**


	3. My love has concrete feet

_"My love has concrete feet"_

"Fill me in," Rose said, sitting down in a chair in Pete's office, nursing the coffee in her hand.

"We've finally got word from our ears inside Fringe Division, and it seems that they've been keeping more from the world than anyone has suspected," Pete said, showing a map on screen. "These are the plots of all the amber protocols, all the quarantines, all the 'Fringe Events'. Now," he changed the viewing on the screen. "These are the same, but in time order. If we rewind the clock…"

The screen, which was covered with dots and markers, began to slowly clear.

"We can see which event was first!" Rose exclaimed. "We can see the trigger!"

"Exactly," Pete said, as all the dots disappeared except one: Reiden Lake. "The Zero event. We suspected it for a while, since the Secretary of Defense mentions it in his book _ZFT,_ but we didn't take it as fact for a while, since we know some things in that book aren't true at all. I'm willing to bet that his claim that the destruction of the planet is due to natural decay is false, too."

"But why print a falsehood?" Rose asked.

"Everyone has secrets," Pete said. "And I'm betting that Fringe Division has more than their share."

"Can our mole get us more information?" Rose asked.

"The clearance level isn't high enough," Pete said, rubbing his neck.

"But this could be the key!" Rose said. "The key to why the Universe is still breaking down, in spite of what the Doctor did! This could be _it!_"

"It's nothing more than a hunch, Rose," Pete told her.

"We've gone out on hunches more than once," Rose told him, standing up. _You need to follow it wherever it goes. The world needs saving, and you're the one to do it._ "Send me."

"What?" Pete asked incredulously.

"Send me. Hasn't the President been asking you for inter-office relations more and more? Sharing of information and all that?"

"Yes, but that's with our departments in England!" Pete told her.

Rose tucked some of her blond hair behind her ears. "But you could make it work. You're good at that –talking people 'round."

"Torchwood is still a high clearance organization," Pete pointed out. "I can't just request a cooperation with Fringe Division and let the cat out of the bag."

"Course not," Rose said, surprising him. "Tell 'em I'm from UNIT or somethin'. We've got that psychic paper left over from that Tula raid last year, yeah? Don't even need to make fake IDs then." She paused. "Dad. I can't just sit here. Somethin's wrong, and I've got to fix it. Let me do my job."

Pete rubbed his forehead as he thought. Then he said, "You're mum's gonna kill me."

Rose broke into a brilliant smile and hugged him ecstatically. "Nah, she's gonna kill me, but that's okay," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"You get to break it to her," Pete told her as he held the door open for her to exit his office.

"I can handle mum," Rose assured him.

* * *

_Blimey, she's gotten fiercer than ever since she had Tony,_ Rose thought.

"Absolutely not!" Jackie said loudly. "You just got back, and we all nearly died from it! And your eyes, Rose! Think of your eyes! How will this affect them? We don't even know what's wrong with you!"

"Mum!" Rose said, stopping her before she could really get going. "I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself; you_ know_ that. I've got to do this."

"Oh, Rose," her mother said softly. "I know. I just _worry_, sweetheart."

"But you don't have to, mum." Rose gave her mother a hug, and then asked, "So where's the Doctor, then? I think I need to talk to him."

"Oh, he's been all over the house, in the library, on the internet, reading up on everything!" Jackie exclaimed. "I think he's in the garden now."  
"Thanks," Rose said, zipping up her jacket and taking the back door. She took in the grounds as she walked towards the ornamental gardens in the back; no one could tell there had been Cybermen here three years earlier. Clouds had begun to roll in from the west. It might rain later that night. "Doctor?" Rose called, not able to see him. "Are you in there?" A rather high shrub hid her view.

"Rose!" the metacrisis exclaimed, making her jump. He poked his head up above the shrub. "There you are. Come and see!"

She smiled as River's words echoed in her head, "_the Doctor over here is my Doctor_." She went through the archway and came around to see what he was up to. He was crouched down in front of a flowerbed with dirt stains on his knees and a smudge of dirt across his forehead. "Is that –" Rose began, but stopped in shock.

"Yep. It's a piece of his TARDIS," the Doctor said, standing and dusting off his hands. "He gave it to me before we started sending people home."  
Rose stared at the small hunk of orange coral sitting happily in the dirt of the flowerbed. "Wow," she said.

"Usually TARDISes take ages to grow, but Donna told me how to accelerate the growth pattern…" he trailed off, and Rose knew he was thinking of her.

"So how long d'you think it'll take now?" Rose asked.

"All the necessary parts, size, plus time rotor and installing some bits of machinery? A year or so."

"Wow," Rose said again, and smiled.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Rose… I have to talk to you." His expression grew very sober. "I know he left us both over here so you could… 'make me better'. His words._ I_ think I'm fine. But…he told me to look after you, and I _will_ do, but I think he thought we might, or you would –um, but it's not really possible because of messing up time tracks and things, so I'm just saying this so you'll –"

Rose smiled. He made just as much sense as her doctor did. "Doctor, are you trying to say River came and visited you, too?"

He stared at her with a completely stunned look on his face. "Um…yes?" he finally said.

"She told me that the world still isn't safe, and that I've got to get back to my Doctor," Rose said. "And that she doesn't like sharing, so I can't have you," she said cheekily.

"Well… isn't that wizard?" the Doctor said in a pleased sort of tone.

"You_ like_ her," Rose said, laughing. "How did you meet her, anyway?"

"Long story. Really long, actually," the Doctor said, as the smile dropped off his face. "I'll tell you sometime. But I'm glad we've got that settled," he said, brightening up.

"Me too," Rose said. "Um, River told me that she and I would be friends someday. I'd… like to be your friend, too."

"Aren't you? I thought you already were," the Doctor said, surprised.

"Not this you," Rose said. "And I'd like to be your friend. Very much."

"All right, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, sticking out his hand. "Friends?"

"Friends," Rose said, shaking it heartily.

* * *

Two weeks later, Pete woke Rose up in the middle of the night, knocking loudly on her door. She sat up, disoriented by the noise and the sudden bright light. "Wake up," Pete said. "We've got a way into Fringe Division; an old case of theirs just came up again."

"What?" Rose mumbled sleepily.

"We've now got an excuse to send over someone to work collaboratively with them," her father explained, a tad impatiently. "I've got the files you'll need; you can read them later. Pack a bag. The zeppelin leaves in an hour." He handed her a pair of sunglasses and said, "For your eyes."

Rose forced her eyes open wide and shook her head sleepily, taking the glasses and tossing them into a duffel bag. She threw the covers back and went to splash water on her face in an effort to wake up.

She could smell tea brewing downstairs. Just what she needed before heading off to America.

**AN: AWWW YEAH! Reminder -next chapter I'll be moving this to the crossover section between DW and Fringe, so make sure you have this alerted!  
And if for some reason it decides to mess up everything when I do that, you can look there for the story!  
I appreciate all your reviews. You guys rock!**


	4. The wrong world

**AN: And this is where we get Fringe-weird! These next couple chapters follow the episode _The Abducted,_ for all you Fringies out there. If anyone cares to read the transcript of the original episode to get a sense of what I'm doing with it, (or just out of curiosity) it's on the fringepedia wiki. Again, let me know if I confuse you too much with the Fringe bits.  
**

**Also, some people have wondered about the Rose/Doctor and River/Doctor relationship in this and the next story, so if you'd like to know my view on Journey's End and why I'm taking the story the way it's going, feel free to PM me; I'll yack your ear off about it. Okay! Onward!**

* * *

**4: No more dreaming like a girl  
so in love with the wrong world**

"Let me tell you, Livvie," Charlie Francis said as he and Olivia watched the new agent sent over go through security to get into the Situation room, "I don't see why we need to work with those Brits. This 'new evidence' didn't come up the last time the Candyman surfaced. Why do they feel the need to send over an agent to work with us now?"

Olivia Dunham shrugged her shoulders, pasting on a wry smile as she said, "Don't know. Guess we'll see, though. What's the name again?"

"Agent Rose Tyler, of UNIT," Charlie said.

_Tyler. That name sounds familiar, _she thought to herself. She wasn't sure why or how… but it seemed important to part of her, nagging at her memories. The other part of her had no idea why that name should be important. To anyone else, this would be a random flash of déjà vu or some such thing, brushed off in the next instant.

But she knew the truth –those were not her memories. She was not from this New York. She was not this Olivia Dunham.

She didn't belong here. This was not her world.

But she couldn't let on, or she'd never get home. And she was _so close. _Henry was going to try to get her a boat; she had spoken to him this morning. She felt a flash of gratitude towards Henry Higgins. The cabbie was a good man, and more importantly, he believed in her. He was all she had on this side, since her memory mirages of Peter had stopped.

She missed him badly.

"You okay, Livvie?" Charlie asked.

Just in time, Olivia remembered. _This _Olivia, the one she was pretending to be, wasn't drawn and sad. She wasn't burdened. She didn't have the same kinds of troubles. "Yeah," she replied, pulling her mouth into a smile. "I just keep thinking of that guy climbing into bedrooms and snatching kids up right under their parents' noses."

"What a world we live in, huh?" Charlie asked rhetorically.

"Yeah," Olivia replied, feeling the heavy hit of irony.

Lincoln brought the woman with blond hair over to the two of them and introduced her. "Agent Rose Tyler, this is Agent Olivia Dunham and Agent Charlie Francis. Agent Tyler will be helping us with our investigation."

"Call me Rose," the woman said immediately, smiling. "Pleased to meet you."

Olivia shook her hand, and Charlie nodded to her respectfully, before taking the initiative. "We need a lead, folks," he said as he addressed the room. "Something to go on. It's been eighteen hours since the Clayton boy went missing. That gives us until tomorrow night to find him."

"Okay," Olivia said. "What have we got?" she asked both Lincoln Lee and Rose Tyler.

"The Candy Man's last kidnapping was two years ago, before you joined Fringe Division," Lincoln said, as images flashed onto the screen. A digital clock kept time in the upper left corner, reminding them all that time was running out for this child.

Olivia hoped that they would find him in time. The images of the children on the screen were unreal. "It's like they've had the life drained out of them."

"That's sick," the new Agent said in her London accent.

"Acute deterioration of organ tissue… depleted immune systems… some of the kids even came back with cancer," Lincoln said grimly, looking up from his scanner.

Olivia leaned back and stared at the images of hurt and wounded children. What had happened to them? Who hurt them like that, and why? A small file popped up and magnified on screen. It showed a healing scar on the back of a boy's neck. "Those incisions-" Olivia said, pointing at the screen. "Why there?"

Lincoln checked his pad. "Posterior cerebral cortex," he said. "From that point on the body, you can access the spine."

Some light bulb decided to go off in Olivia's mind, flashing at her as if to say, 'pay attention. This is important.' "Okay, Astrid, what do we know about these cases?" she asked, walking over to Astrid's workstation.

The computer and statistics specialist began recounting all known information on the Candy Man abductions. "The abductions themselves appear to be random, occurring every two years. The victims are always children, ages seven through nine. They are taken, then released forty-eight hours later with massive internal degradation. The victims describe the suspect as male, age unknown. In the majority of cases, other than a shaved head, there's no physical description given, because he wore a _mask_." She avoided looking the agents in the eyes.

"Anything to add, Agent?" Lincoln asked Rose.

Olivia turned her eyes onto the British woman, who was having difficulty pulling her attention from the view screen. She brushed her blond hair over her ear and said, "The connection made to the Candy Man only surfaced recently, when we cross referenced old files onto our new database," she said. "Kidnappings identical to yours were discovered in the records of the London area, three possible cases. They're dated earlier than most of the Candy Man crimes, possibly some of his first," she said. "I was sent to help make any connections on that angle as I could."

Olivia began to mull this information over, but something Astrid had said stuck in her brain. "What do you mean, _in the majority of cases?_" she asked.

"Two of our victims reported being held captive by two suspects, one young and one old," Astrid explained, eyes on her screen. "One of the London victims recounted this as well."

Olivia turned to look at Charlie. "Then why haven't we expanded the profile to look for two suspects?" She tried to keep the snappiness out of her tone –there was an outsider here after all –but really, they might get some leads here!

"Liv, these kids were really scared," Charlie said in a soft voice. "There are a lot of inconsistencies in their statements."

"Doesn't mean that they're wrong," Rose said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the desk behind her. "Seems pretty consistent to me. How do three kids who never met have the same story?"

"Exactly!" Olivia said, feeling a rush of gratitude towards this woman she didn't know for backing her up. "Astrid, can you please pull up the victim's bios?" They were immediately onscreen. "Okay," Olivia said, processing. "Sarah Anderson, Amanda Holt and Christopher... Broyles." The smiling face of the little boy on the screen made her stop and swallow. Many things were suddenly clearer about the stern and harsh quality of this side's Phillip Broyles.

Lincoln and Charlie were both giving her warning looks. She ignored them. "We should speak to Christopher again," Olivia said, nodding decisively.

"That's not a good idea, Liv," Lincoln said, taking her aside. "You weren't here when it happened. Broyles is …protective."

"Well… we should at least _ask_," Olivia asserted, looking between him and Charlie. They'd back her up… wouldn't they?

"Liv… don't even think about it," Charlie said, and then Olivia remembered.

This wasn't her world. This wasn't her Charlie.

He didn't have her back.

Both men moved away and began to sort through the tip line information, searching for any possible leads. Olivia clenched her jaw and took a deep breath. The loss hurt, but she didn't need that right now. _Focus on this little boy now,_ she told herself. _Find Max Clayton by any way possible._

"I think you're right, if it's any consolation," Rose told her quietly. "Not that it's any of my business."

"If you're on this team to find Max, it's your business," Olivia told her. "It's everybody's business." She frowned, and then said, "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"I think we don't have anything solid to go on yet," Rose said, "And this seems like the best idea we've got for now. 'Go down every rabbit hole; you never know what's down there.' S'what my dad always says."

Something clicked in Olivia's mind. "Rose Tyler…. You're _Pete Tyler's_ daughter."

Rose laughed, sticking her tongue in between her teeth. "Yep. Wondered how long it'd take you to work that out."

"Everyone knows the story –or the rumors. It's almost as famous as –" She stopped.

She had almost said 'Peter's disappearance.'

"The Secretary's son's kidnapping," she finished lamely.

"Not quite like that," Rose said, still smiling.

"What happened?"

"It's…kind of a long story," she said. "Long and boring."

"Oh." Olivia said. Inwardly, she didn't buy it.

Rose seemed to see something on her face. "Actually, it's classified," Rose admitted. "I usually just say that to make people not want to hear it. But yeah, I can't really say."

"I get that," Olivia said, smiling crookedly. "Story of my life." They smiled at each other, and something seemed to be exchanged –a mutual trust, or some kind of camaraderie… perhaps friendship. It felt right to Olivia. "Listen," she said suddenly. "If I go to the Colonel and ask to re-interview Christopher, will you back me up?"

"As far as I can," Rose said. "I don't know if an outsider gets much clout."

"That's all I need," Olivia promised.

* * *

Olivia knocked on the doorframe of Colonel Broyles's office and walked in with Rose behind her. He looked up from his desk and raised one black eyebrow. She squared her shoulders and reminded herself, _act like this Olivia._ She locked her hands in front of her and said, "I would like to re-interview your son."

"_Excuse_ me?"

Not a very good beginning.

Olivia began to explain her position in a rational manner, using her hands to illustrate her point. "Christopher reported that he was held by two men –an older man and a younger man." She was losing him; she could tell by the way he sighed and shifted in his chair, away from her. "Now, if that's true, he may remember other things about this guy that could help our investigation."

"Agent Dunham…" Broyles said. She pursed her lips. "My son went through something no child should ever have to go through. And when he came home, I had to ask him _questions_ about it, going over the details again and again, forcing him to relive it, when all he wanted to do was forget. And for _what?_ I didn't solve the case. And I _didn't_ help my little boy sleep at night."

"I'm sure that you did your best," Olivia said. "But if I spoke to him, maybe I could get more out of him."

He glared at her. "I'm his _father_."

_Uh oh. He's defensive now. _She smiled tightly. "Perhaps that's the problem. Maybe there are some things that you don't want to hear."

Rose put in from behind her, "With respect, sir, I believe that Agent Dunham has a valid point. And we do need every possible lead to help us find Max."

The colonel stood and came up right beside her, letting his glance shift from her to Rose and back again. "Now, there's something I want you two to hear," he said in a stern voice. "My son's condition since he was taken has deteriorated so rapidly that he'll be lucky if he makes it to his eighteenth birthday. Now, what little childhood Christopher has left, I intend to _protect _it."

"I get that," Olivia said firmly, emboldened by a friend by her side. "But Christopher's childhood is not the only one at stake right now."

"You're dis_mis_sed," he said unyieldingly.

Olivia held his gaze for a few seconds before turning and leaving, with Rose behind her. She walked directly through the situation room into the women's restroom.

"I can't believe he'd be so hidebound and defensive of his son that he wouldn't even let me talk to him," Olivia said tightly. Rose had followed her in.

"He's a dad," Rose said. "Parents protect their kids." She laughed a little. "I think my mum could beat him in a protective contest, though."

Olivia shook her head, still staring into the mirror with her hands braced on both sides of the sink.

"You put a lot of yourself into your cases, don't you?"

Her head snapped around to Rose, who was smiling at her.

"Yeah," Rose said. "I know someone like that. I'm like that a lot myself, too. It's good, you know?"

"Charlie sometimes says I care too much," Olivia said.

"I don't think you can ever care too much," Rose said.

Olivia smiled slightly. "Thanks for backing me up in there."

"I didn't do that much. It was all you."

"Still. Thanks." She couldn't take much more of this Lone Ranger stuff, all by herself on the other side without even a Tonto.

Rose nodded. "You're welcome."

* * *

Olivia was back at her desk, working on the case. Rose was supposed to be working on the London angle and finding any connections in Zeppelin flights, moves, and other things with Astrid, the statistics specialist. Her mind wasn't totally focused on it; she was still trying to figure out who Torchwood's mole could be. She hadn't heard the agreed upon sign yet. But she had a job at hand, and she pulled her mind back to it. Apparently, as you went further and further back about 15 or 20 years, the records got sketchier and sketchier. It was the same with Torchwood, Rose knew. Record keeping was never as good as it could be.

"Okay," she said, theorizing. "Earliest known Candy Man kidnappings are recorded in London, and then they move to the US, based mostly on the upper east coast. The Candy Man could be British, or he could have a work or family connection in Britain, or something like that," she said. "What do you think?"

"Without definitive information to support your theories, statistics are pointless. There is no information that the Candy Man is any of those things," Astrid said flatly.

"Blimey, do you always talk like this?" Rose asked. "Are you Data's clone or somethin'?"

"I do not understand," Astrid said.

_Right,_ Rose thought. Over here, they hadn't had a show called Star Trek. They had had Galaxy Adventures, an animated kids' show that was canceled halfway through the second season. Astrid wouldn't get the Data reference.

"Never mind," Rose said.

Astrid's gaze stayed fixed onto her view screen, but she suddenly said, "Tonight there will be a full moon."

Rose's heart rate picked up a bit, but her expression remained nonchalant. Full moon: check. "Good for telling ghost stories," she said. Ghosts: check.

"I prefer to go dancing when the moon is full," Astrid said.

Rose inwardly rejoiced. Dancing: check. "What sort of dancing?"

"All kinds. I like Glenn Miller's music." The woman remained staring at her view screen, tapping in data and sorting numbers mechanically.

This side had never had a songwriter named Glenn Miller. There was only one way she could know that –or know any of the sign and countersign.

Astrid Farnsworth worked for Torchwood.

"Hey, Rose!" Olivia called.

Rose turned. "Yeah?"

"I need to bounce an idea off you."

"See you later," Rose said offhandedly to Astrid, who didn't reply. Rose got up and went to Olivia's desk, where Lincoln was leaning against it. If you asked her, Lincoln Lee was interested in Olivia, but it wasn't reciprocated. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I love Red Vines! Used to have them all the time as a kid. C'n I have some?"

Olivia passed the bag over as Lincoln gave her a weird look. "You couldn't have had them as a kid; they're new."

Rose paused with one hand in the bag, stopped by his words and by the little logo on the side of the bag: copyright Bad Wolf Candy Company. _I take the words…I scatter them, in time and space… a message…_

_I'm still leaving myself trail markers,_ Rose thought._ These taste better than breadcrumbs. _ "Oh. Guess… it must have been some other kind. I like 'em, though," she said, chewing on the red candy. "So what's your idea?" she asked Olivia.

"In all cases, the kids came back with massive cell degeneration and internal-organ atrophy, right?"

"Right," Rose said.

"All those conditions are symptoms of old age," Olivia said. "And aging is connected to the pituitary gland, which can be accessed through the back of the neck."

Rose stood up straight. "Those weird incisions on the kids!"

"Exactly! My point is that some of the victims mentioned there were two suspects, one old and one young. What if there was only one person who was literally changing from old to young? What if the Candy Man is _stealing youth_?

"I still think this is pretty far out," Lincoln pointed out.

"Okay, fine. But in theory, what would be the next logical step?" Olivia asked.

Lincoln thought about it. "I suppose in theory, concentrated pituitary hormones _could _be processed in some way to accelerate healing, maybe even reverse aging, but –if that's true, it would also cause some serious side effects."

"Such as?" Olivia prompted.

"Anemia, tremors, hypoglycemia," he listed off at random.

"High blood sugar? High enough that he could secrete _sugar_ in his sweat?"

The three of them looked at each other in understanding.

"Well, now we've got a why and a how," Rose said. "He's becoming younger by stealing hormones from the kids. Now we just need a who."

Olivia sat up straighter and hit the earpiece she wore to receive a call. "This is Dunham." She listened for a minute, and then nodded. "Okay, I'll be there…. Thank you." She ended the call. "Come on, Rose," she said.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked, following her out of the situation room.

"To see Christopher Broyles."

* * *

**I'm off to college for the first time (and pretty nervous!) so any reviews or comments you'd like to send my way to cheer me up would be spectacular! Thanks!**

**Edit 9/19/12: I meant Christopher Broyles! Thanks for catching that mistake! It's fixed now. :)  
**


	5. Where the water was

**AN: there's a bit in there where I put in "After meeting with Reverend Marcus". I decided not to write that scene because... I felt like I was just copying and pasting the transcript from the episode into my story. :/ So if you are not a Fringie and become confused or would just like to know what took place, you can read the transcript at (slash) wikia (slash) Fringepedia if you would like. Just trying to help clarify! Again, please ask me anything you don't understand!**

* * *

_5: Time it took us to where the water was_

"You mind if I call my mum?" Rose asked as Olivia drove. "She freaks if she doesn't hear from me."

"Go ahead," Olivia said.

Rose pulled out her iphone 6 and scrolled through her contacts.

"Wow," Olivia said. "Haven't seen those in a while."

"Yeah, I'm a bit of a dinosaur," Rose said, laughing. It wasn't as good as her super phone and its jiggery-pokery, but the Doctor had fixed this one up to be a protected line that couldn't be listened into by anyone, and it wasn't on the regular network. So, in a way, it was a kind of jiggery-pokery. "Hey mum," she said, as soon as the line was picked up.

"Rose! So you got there all right. Have you made contact?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm fine, mum, don't fuss," Rose replied, code for 'yes.' "Just checkin' in; I'm on a case right now."

"When you find out any information about the degradation, call as soon as possible," the Doctor instructed her. "We can't make any progress until you get us more information."

"I know," Rose repeated, letting a touch of exasperation creep into her tone.

"You know, you do sound like you're talking to Jackie. Hope I'm not fussing like her."

"What do you think?" Rose asked, smiling.

"I think that I need to shut up and let you do your job," the Doctor said. "Take care of yourself, Rose."

"I know, mum. I love you, too. Bye." She ended the call.

"Good timing," Olivia said, pulling up to a house. "We're here." She turned the car off and both women walked up the sidewalk to the front door. When Olivia rang the bell, a pretty woman with curly hair and warm brown skin opened the door and ushered them in.

"It's nice to see you again, Olivia. Who's your friend?"

"I'm Rose Tyler, Agent from UNIT," Rose said, shaking the woman's hand.

"Pleased to meet you," she said with a smile. "Chris is looking forward to meeting you both," she said as she led them into his bedroom. "Here we are."

Rose stood behind Olivia as the Colonel said, "Chris, Agent Dunham's here, and so is Agent Tyler." The boy turned around, and Rose felt a huge wave of compassion flood through her as the little boy's cloudy eyes focused on nothing, but he still smiled. _Who could do this to a child?_ She thought angrily. _What sort of monster could do this?_

"Oh, 'Olivia' is fine. It's, uh –it's nice to meet you, Chris," the Fringe Agent said, coming closer to the little boy.

"Hi," Christopher said, holding out his hand.

"Hi," Olivia said softly, taking his hand in hers and shaking it.

He held out his hand to Rose next, and she took it gently. "My name's Rose," she said kindly.

"Hey," he said. "Are you English?" he asked with a child's innocent curiosity.

She laughed. This little boy hadn't had his sweetness taken away. "Yeah, yeah I am."

* * *

Olivia sat down, and Chris said, with all the curiosity and fascination of her niece, "Did you really save that school bus of kids from a Class-Three Vortex last year? Is it true?"

_I don't remember her doing that…_ Olivia thought to herself. "Well, I was just doing my job," she said, going with a safe answer for a question she didn't know.

"Oh. That's _so_ cool." He paused for a second. "So... my mom says you want to talk about the man who… took me."

"Yeah. Would that be okay?" Olivia asked quietly.

He sighed, the lines of his mouth pulling nervously. "Sure."

Olivia quickly glanced around the room, and suggested. "Maybe we could talk somewhere else. Like… where is your _favorite _place to go?"

* * *

The three of them walked along the beach. Olivia held Christopher's hand as he swung his cane with the other hand, feeling his way carefully along the sand. Rose walked on the other side of Olivia with her hands in her pockets, quietly describing to Christopher what the beach looked like today.

Olivia was glad that Rose was doing that part –she seemed to have nearly an inexhaustible supply of words for description and putting a scene into narration vivid enough to see. She had said that she used to travel a lot when she was younger and would try to fix in her mind just how everything was so when she came back home, she could tell her family. Olivia wasn't sure how young she meant, though; she couldn't be much older than twenty-four right now. After walking for a while and listening to the ocean, Olivia and Chris settled down on an old log to talk, while Rose stood quietly to one side.

"My dad says I need to forget about what happened," Christopher said.

"Yeah… but it's …_hard_ to forget," Olivia said. "You know, I can imagine what it must have been like for you... how scared you must have been, how much you really wanted to get back to your family, and to your friends."

"I –I have nightmares about this sometimes," he said softly.

"Oh? …Could you tell me about them?" Olivia asked. Maybe there was something he hadn't told, or had forgotten, that had come back in dreams. Her mind had made her remember Peter. Maybe Christopher could remember.

He puckered his forehead in thought. "I always remember, um… the smell, first. It's musty, like our attic," he added, nodding a little. "He comes to the room wearing a mask to check on that thing stuck in my neck. It feels like... it's stealing my energy. I'm so _tired_. I feel… sick," he said, reliving the moment.

"Chris, in the report, you said that there were two men... one old and one young, right?" Olivia confirmed. He nodded. "Did they ever talk to you?"

He set his jaw and firmly stared at nothing. "No. Nothing I remember." He looked away, even though he couldn't see her, and rubbed his neck.

Olivia could tell he was holding something back. "Chris... What is it? You can tell me," she whispered.

He took a breath that made him shudder. "I know the Candy Man's back."

"Yeah. He is," Olivia said seriously.

The little boy's sightless eyes started to leak tears. "He said if I told anyone about him, he –he'd come back. He said this time… he'd –he'd hurt my mom and dad." His voice cracked.

"Christopher, he _lied,_" Rose said strongly, kneeling down and gripping his hand. "He lied."

"Rose is right; that is _not _going to happen." Olivia wrapped a comforting arm around him and squeezed tightly as the tears rolled down his face. _This could be my niece,_ she thought. _This could be Ella. _"I promise," she said. "We will not let that happen. Christopher, there is another little boy just like you. He's been taken, and he wants to go home and see his family too. You can help him."

"I remember their voices," Christopher said, sniffing back the tears bravely. "Um, they both said the same thing. I think it was a prayer."

"Can you remember it? Any of it?" Rose asked him, rocking back on her heels.

"Some… 'Through the pitch dark... comes a cleansing fire.' "

This was definitely more than they had ever had by way of a lead before. "Okay," Olivia said, patting him on the back. "Thank you, Chris."

* * *

Olivia smiled as Chris exclaimed to his mom about his shells that he had picked up on the beach. "He was very, very helpful. Thank you," she told his mother.

"Thank _you_," she said, before leading her son inside.

Olivia's earpiece buzzed, and she pressed it, answering, "Dunham."

"The boat's called the _Sally_," Henry Higgins's voice said. "The Red Hook Marina in Brooklyn– 'B' Dock. Be there tonight at 10, and I'll get you where you want to go."

"Okay, I'll be there," Olivia said, trying to keep her smile at a minimum.

"Dunham, Tyler," the Colonel said.

Olivia knew she jumped, and she knew that Rose was giving her an odd look, but she couldn't do anything about it. "Sir?" she asked.

"Charlie got a hit on the prayer. They traced it to the Astoria Church in Queens."

* * *

**After Meeting with Reverend Marcus **

Rose scanned the road, looking for the side street 'Kent' while Olivia drove. She was mulling over their meeting with Reverend Marcus, and shifting in her seat. "Did that Reverend seem… on the level, to you?" she asked Olivia. "I see the street."

"Well, he didn't answer my question about the prayer," Olivia said, turning right. "Okay, look for the buildings called 'Shadow Ridge'. But I thought he seemed genuine about his wife, at least."

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "I just think if it's really someone who belongs to his church, then that's really sick, using God as a justification for what they do."

"Sick and hypocritical," Olivia agreed.

Rose exclaimed, "Oh! I see it. Turn here."

Olivia pulled in, and it seemed to be rather aged compared to some of the other apartments they had passed on the drive. "There are several people in the church who live here," Olivia said, once she had parked and could look at her list. "Let's split up."

"'Kay," Rose said, pulling out her phone. They exchanged numbers, and Rose took her own list to check.

The first door she knocked on, no one answered, so she knocked next door and the woman there told Rose that her neighbor was in the hospital for cancer treatments. "He's one of those that will go to all the churches in the neighborhood to see what they can do for _him_, not because he loves the Lord," the elderly woman said, tsking. "Terrified of dying but unwilling to turn to the One who can give him life. Just wants that Reverend to heal him."

The second and third door on her list didn't fit the profile –both middle aged men with wives and family, committed to their church, and had only seen Max on the news.

She had just pulled out her list again when her phone buzzed. "Tyler," she said, picking up.

"Rose! East wing, apartment 5! Call for backup; suspect sighted!" Olivia's voice shouted into her ear.

"On my way," Rose said, already running as her fingers dialed.

* * *

She should have gotten a hold on him; she should have drawn her gun sooner, she should have seen his bolt coming… all this ran through Olivia's head as she trained her gun ahead of her and slipped through the faded curtain in the closet. As her body gave her an adrenaline rush, she panned through, searching… she jumped as much as Max did when he saw her. Olivia scanned for Wyatt Toomy before perching on the bed. "Max. Hi," she said, steadying him with hands on his shoulders. He seemed pretty out of it. "I'm with the FBI. Are you okay?" she asked anxiously. He nodded, looking relieved. "Okay," she said, giving him a hug. "Oh," she whispered, seeing the foreign device on the back of his neck. She touched it hesitantly –did she try to take it off? No, that wouldn't be good–

A door creaked. Her gun was in her hand instantly, and she covered Max with her body as her eyes registered the sawed-off shotgun in Toomy's hand.

She fired rapidly, and he went down.

She allowed herself to breathe again as her heart pounded in her ears. "You okay?" she asked Max, holding him. He nodded. "You sure? Okay," Olivia whispered, rocking him. "Okay."

"Olivia?" Rose's yell penetrated the apartment. "Olivia!"

"In here!" she called. "I got him."

"Where is –oh," Rose said, walking into the gloom. Her eyes focused first on Olivia and Max, and then on the fallen body. "_Oh_." She hesitantly felt for a pulse, and then pressed her lips together and looked away, giving Olivia a little shake of her head to let her know Toomy was dead. "Are you all right?" she demanded. "I called Broyles."

"Yeah, we're fine," Olivia said, patting Max gently.

"I want my mom," he whispered.

"We'll get 'er, sweet'eart," Rose said, her accent becoming thicker. "We've got to take you to the 'ospital, 'n get that thing out o' you. But you'll be just fine."

"Do you drop your aiches when you're emotional?" Olivia asked, smiling a little.

"Just a bit, yeah," Rose said, grinning as the familiar wail of the ambulance started up in the distance.

_Case closed,_ Olivia thought. _I can go home._

__**You reviewers are the BEST! Please continue to tell me what you think! (don't worry, this story is far from over ;) )**


	6. You better run

**6: The horses are coming, so you better run**

"Hey," Olivia said, walking toward the small boat by the dock. Henry looked singularly nervous. Come to think of it, she was pretty nervous as well.

"You're nineteen minutes late," Henry told her, on edge. "I had one more minute, and I was out of here."

Olivia could remark on how much she appreciated him staying, but she couldn't really find the words, so she just said, "Wow, you really think this thing is gonna take us across the harbor?" It was pretty…um…small.

"Don't worry about the boat. Worry about the patrols around that island," Henry said.

Guilt gnawed at her. Henry was taking a big risk. If they got caught, he would be in just as much trouble as her. "Hey Henry, I know I'm asking a lot of you; if you want to back out..."

"Come on. Let's just get it over with, okay?"

She nodded, relieved. "You want me to cast us off?"

"What?" he asked, confused.

"…Do you want me to… _untie the boat_ …from the dock?" she clarified, blinking slightly.

He nodded rapidly in understanding. "_Oh_, yeah, yeah. Do that. Yeah."

Worry began to claw at her stomach. "Henry, you _have_ done this before, right?"

He took a deep breath. "Want to know the truth?"

"Yeah," Olivia said.

"Water scares the _hell_ outta me."

Olivia's shoulder's slumped.

"Look, don't _worry,_" Henry said, trying to reassure her as well as himself. "My cousin ran me through everything I need to know. We'll be _fine_. Just do that –that casting thing."

Something was sending off flares inside Olivia's brain.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked, seeing the odd look on her face.

"Someone had to _teach_ you how to do it," Olivia said, unease and coincidence multiplying into hard and bitter fact inside her head.

"Yeah, so what?" Henry asked, not getting it. "I told you, I'm not a boater."

* * *

Rose had taken Lincoln up on his offer to drop her back at the Fringe division HQ. She needed to have a long talk with Astrid, or at least arrange to have one. Sleep could come later. "Thanks, Lincoln," she said, hopping out of the car. He was going to meet Charlie and have a few beers to unwind after the case.

"No problem," he said, smiling.

As he pulled away, Rose fished for her phone.

"Rose!" exclaimed the Doctor, picking up on the first ring. "How is it going?"

"I'm about to go in and talk to the mole," Rose said, shoving her left hand in her pocket to keep in warm. The wind was pretty cold for this time of night. "We've finished up our case."

"Brilliant," the Doctor said.

"How are things at home?" Rose asked.

"Tony's being a terror to your mum," the Doctor told her. "Tantrums every day. Jackie's angry at Pete for spoiling him."

"Psh," Rose said. "She spoils him just as much as Dad."

"I know," the Doctor said. "It's up to me to see he doesn't go totally bad."

Rose howled with laughter, knowing what a pushover the Doctor was for little kids, and Tony in particular. "Oh dear," she said, wiping her eyes. "There's no hope for him at all, is there?"

"Oi," the Doctor said, objecting. "I can discipline him. I've done it before, you know."

Rose sobered a little, hearing the echo of _'I was a dad once'_ behind his words. "I know," she said.

He was silent for a bit, but then said, "I've made myself a sonic screwdriver!" He sounded ridiculously pleased. "Doesn't look quite the same, but that's because I cannibalized some of your mum's kitchen appliances to get parts."

"Bet she loved that," Rose said, laughing.

"Almost as much as she loves the TARDIS growing in her garden," the Doctor said ruefully.

"Has she slapped you yet?" Rose inquired cheekily.

"I've been making sure to stay out of range," he said.

"Wise. How big is she now?" She was speaking of the TARDIS.

"Almost four feet tall," he said happily.

"How big will she get?"

"I have no idea," the Doctor admitted. "But as soon as she gets big enough to get inside, I've got to install a chameleon circuit, or she'll get huge."

"I thought she would just get bigger on the inside," Rose said.

"Well, yes, but that's Time Lord technology," the Doctor told her. "If the TARDIS didn't have the chameleon circuit to disguise her, she'd be as big as she usually is."

"But I thought the chameleon circuit was broken in the other TARDIS…"

"It's just stuck. Oh, here's Pete." The Doctor handed over the phone.

"Rose?" Pete's voice asked.

"Hey dad," Rose said.

"Any progress?"

"Not yet, but soon," Rose said, glancing at her watch.

"Good," Pete said. "The decay is accelerating. It isn't visible yet, but it's coming."

"From what I've seen so far, I'm not really sure what the Fringe Agents know about the origins of the incidents they investigate. I hope our mole can shed some light on it," Rose said.

"Call when you know something."

"Will do. Give my love to mum."

She hung up and went inside through Security, flashing her psychic paper. Rose was much better at it now than she had been a few years ago in the Blitz. The Doctor had taught her a couple tricks to using it, and how to keep unwanted thoughts from showing up on the paper.

"Hey Astrid," she said, sauntering up to her workstation. There were very few people in the situation room because they were all out celebrating the closed case. "What're you doing?"

"I am inputting the data into the files of everyone involved in the Candy Man case," Astrid said in her clinical inflection.

"Can you chat while you work?" Rose asked, pulling up a swivel stool and positioning it in front of her workstation.

"It is impossible for humans to multitask," Astrid said. "However, I am adept at switching back and forth from two different subjects and can do it rapidly."

"Great," Rose said.

"Would you prefer to speak in private?" Astrid said, eyes trained on her screen.

"Nah," Rose said. "That draws attention." She pulled out her phone, went to the menu, and selected an app, setting the phone onto the edge of the table. "That'll scramble any sort of device that tries to listen in," she said, letting her voice carry only to Astrid. "That okay?"

"This is acceptable," Astrid replied.

"What can you tell me about the decay?" Rose asked.

"The origin of the decay is unknown to the general public," Astrid said, "As it is to many of Fringe division. However, the origin of the decay occurred on the same date at which the Secretary of Defense's son disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Rose asked.

"Statistically, these events have little probability of being related," Astrid said. "But the probability increases immensely when you calculate in the fact that the Secretary's son very recently came back."

"Wha'?" Rose asked, leaning forward. "Came from where?"

"Few people in Fringe division know of this," Astrid said, with a sidelong look at Rose. "I only know because of my obligations to Torchwood."

"You snoop, you mean," Rose said, smiling.

"That is correct," Astrid said. "Our universe is at war with an alternate version of our universe. At the zero point, our world was invaded and it triggered the decay of our world."

"When you say 'invaded'…" Rose asked, trying to get a clarification out of her.

"Someone crossed over into our world and kidnapped the secretary's son."

"Who?"

"An alternate version of the Secretary."

Rose tried to breathe naturally as she processed this information. _So all this time, we've only been treating symptoms,_ she thought. _The true cause of the decay is much further into the past._

"But…why?" she asked.

"Unknown," Astrid replied. "But after returning, a party came to our side and convinced Peter Bishop to return to the other side again."

_This story must have much more to it,_ Rose thought. _But I don't know what, because I'd need my world's side of the story… it's far too simple. _"Does anyone know how to fix –" Rose broke off as a man approached Astrid.

"Astrid, are you finished compiling the files yet?" the agent asked.

"Negative."

"How much longer?"

"Approximately 9.6 minutes," Astrid replied, her tone becoming testy, "without further interruptions. I must pull records from overseas."

"Why?" Rose asked.

"The information on Reverend Marcus's wife's early medical history is in London, and there are tedious protocols I must go through."

"London," Rose repeated, and her ears began to ring. "Astrid, is his wife's family still in London?"

Astrid searched quickly in her digital dossier and replied, "Yes."

"Did he visit them? And did he keep visiting after his wife died?" Rose said, reaching for her phone as her breath caught.

"Affirmative, but his visits decrease after the first few years."

"Check and see if those dates match the Candyman kidnappings," Rose commanded, dialing Olivia.

"Dunham," Olivia said, sounding hurried.

"Olivia, it's Rose."

"Rose, I need to make a call, it's important –"

"So is this," Rose said. "Listen: Reverend Marcus's wife was from England. London, actually. They would visit back and forth. But after she died, his visits died off." Astrid was nodding at her. "But the dates_ match_ the early Candy man kidnappings," Rose said, driving her point home.

"It's not Toomy," Olivia said decisively. "I have to call Broyles."

"Call me when you have news!" Rose demanded before Olivia hung up.

* * *

"Hey, I just left you a message," Colonel Broyles said.

"Hey," Olivia said, pacing on the dock. "Uh, I think we were wrong. Wyatt Toomy was not a scientist. He needed someone to show him how to make the serum."

"Who?"

"_Reverend Marcus_. He said that he was a doctor. I think that's how he's been healing his congregation. He's been dosing them. Wyatt was just working for him. Plus, Rose found out that his wife who died was from London, and visits after her death match the Candy man kidnappings."

"Dear God." His voice was low and staggered.

She shrugged, breathing out. "Well, Christopher was right all along. There really were two suspects."

"I told Reverend Marcus _Chris_ could I.D. the voices he heard, and now my wife isn't picking up the phone."

Immediate alarm shot through Olivia. "Okay, I'll meet you at your house." She hung up and turned to Henry. "Henry, I gotta go do something. Can you promise me that you will wait for me? _Please?_"

"Where the hell are you going?" Henry demanded.

* * *

Olivia drove like the devil was after her and mentally wished for the sirens and flashing lights on her car in her own world. It was a good thing there were few cars on the road at this time of night. She threw the car around corners and broke speed limits with abandon. Her brakes screeched to a stop in front of the Broyles's house and she saw that the front door was open. She pulled her gun and ran into the house.

The sight she encountered wasn't one she saw everyday. Colonel Broyles was holding his son tightly, and just beyond them a prone form stretched out on the floor.

Olivia quietly tucked her gun away.


	7. All the choirs in my head sang 'no'

**7: All the choirs in my head sang 'no'**

Rose kept talking to Astrid, trying to keep her mind on her mission, but her hands were clenched around her phone, waiting for word, any word. When it finally buzzed, she jumped. "Yes?" she demanded.

"We got him," Olivia said. "Chris is fine, but he's just going to the hospital to get checked out. Meet you there?"

"Sure," Rose replied, and sagged against the chair back in relief.

* * *

"Where are you? It's been an hour. What's the deal with you?" Henry hissed into her earpiece.

Olivia checked to make sure no one could hear her. "I'm leaving now. Just give me fifteen minutes."

"Make it fast. I'm starting to get seasick."

Olivia canceled the call and suppressed a smile.

"Agent Dunham? I thought that was you," Max's mother said, coming up to her with a smile.

"Mrs. Clayton, how is Max doing?" Olivia asked politely.

Her grateful smile told everything. "The doctors think you got there just in time. Now, he hasn't been able to stop talking about you. It'd really mean a lot if you could say hi. Agent Tyler's with him now."

"Sure," Olivia said. She'd just have to make it fast, or Henry would flip.

* * *

"Hey, Max, someone's here to see you."

Max looked up from Rose and the bear he was playing with and smiled. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Woman of the hour," Rose said with a grin, sticking her tongue out between her teeth. "Solving the case single-handed."

"Hardly," Olivia said, smiling back at both of them. "You helped figure it out, too." She perched on the opposite side of the bed as Rose. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now," he said.

"That's good. You're a real brave kid, you know that?" she told him.

"Well, not as brave as _you_."

Olivia smiled.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Sure."

"What's F. B. I.?"

A cold band of fear clamped around her heart and Olivia became hyper aware of Rose's presence. "F.B.I.?" she asked, in a deceptively light tone, praying Rose didn't know a whole lot about American organizations. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Well, you said it when you saved me. Remember? You said you were F. B. I."

"Oh," Olivia said, thinking fast. "Well, F.B.I.'s just another word for 'police'."

The boy smiled. "Well, then when I grow up, I want to be F. B. I. too!"

She grinned at him. "That'd be nice. Now, you should get some rest, because it's_ late_." _And I need to go, fast!_

"Okay," Max said agreeably.

Someone coughed behind her discreetly, and Olivia turned. Colonel Broyles was in the doorway. The crushing feeling of fear only intensified. _Oh no,_ she thought, getting up. "Bye," she whispered.

"Bye." He waved.

Rose followed her out, and Olivia asked the Colonel, "How's your wife and son?" _Distract him,_ her brain demanded.

"They're gonna be fine," he said. "In fact, the doctors are gonna take a look at the serum Wyatt Toomy was synthesizing. It may have some healing potential for Christopher and the other victims."

"That's great," Rose said, smiling. "Maybe some good could come out of all this."

"Yes," Colonel Broyles said. "Agent Tyler, would you mind if I spoke to Agent Dunham privately?" _Oh dear,_ Olivia thought as Rose moved a discreet distance away. "Dunham... the F.B.I. ceased to exist over a decade ago... at least on this side it did. You know who you are, don't you?"

Olivia suddenly realized her jaw was clenched tight, and she needed to remember to breathe. "What happens now?" she said softly, swallowing, already remembering all the exits she had seen on the way in.

He took a deep breath. "Now... I'm going home."

And then he walked away, leaving Olivia shaky with relief.

* * *

_FBI._ Rose couldn't believe it.

_They don't have that over here anymore_, she thought. _It doesn't _exist_ anymore._ _Why would she say FBI? _ Could it be… was it possible…? Then the Colonel pulled Olivia aside and spoke to her, and the way her body loosened when he left definitely reinforced Rose's conviction, which was backed up by all the knowledge she was able to get from Astrid. If she were going to speak to Olivia, she would need to speak now. And quickly, too, because Olivia was moving fast down the hallway.

"Olivia?" Rose called, following her down the hall. Olivia acted like she hadn't heard her, walking through the stairwell door. Rose broke into a hurried jog and made it to the door before it closed. "Olivia!" she called again, leaning over the railing to see Olivia burst through the exit a floor lower. "Olivia!" Rose yelled, running after her and then slowing to appear normal as she went through the hospital lobby. She probably thought that Rose was trying to interrogate her, or stop her, but that wasn't true; it was _so far _from the truth…

"Olivia!" Rose yelled as she cleared the front door and ran into the parking lot.

But Olivia had reached her car and was pulling away from the parking lot as her lights illuminated the night.

Rose swallowed the bitter disappointment and pulled out her phone to call her instead. But she wasn't picking up. _Did I freak her out? Scare her away? If she is from my universe, what was she doing here?_

_I'll see her tomorrow at Fringe Division,_ Rose reasoned. _I'll talk to her then._

But if Olivia were really dedicated about avoiding questions, she'd call in sick until Rose had to leave and go home. (Home! Not something she wanted to think about just yet. She had to talk to Astrid again, get more information, see what could be done about the state the world was in…) Rose let her phone redial Olivia's number and left a message.

"Olivia, hey, it's Rose. I'm sorry if I scared you by running out after you, but I really want to talk to you. It's very important," Rose said. "I'll see if I catch you at HQ tomorrow." After a pause, she said, "I really loved red vines as a child. Okay, bye," and hung up.

The only thing left she could do was pray and hope.

And, of course, call Lincoln and ask for a ride back to her hotel.

* * *

Olivia ditched her car a block away from the dock and left the keys in the car, which hopefully would prompt some car thieves to take it to a chop shop. That way, she'd be harder to trace. Making sure not to scare Henry, she quietly said, "Hey, I'm here!"

"Finally," he grumbled. "Let's go. Do that casting thing."

Olivia hid a smile and did as she was told.

"Did you get the guy?" Henry asked as the boat pulled away from the dock.

"Yeah," Olivia said, letting the smile grace her lips. "Yeah, we did."

They were both silent on the ride over. The only words that were exchanged were Olivia telling Henry where to go to avoid patrols. She could feel her earpiece blinking as it indicated she had a message. She was going to ditch it in the water to get rid of it…. But as Liberty Island came into sight and loomed ever larger in her vision, she figured, _what the hell,_ and listened to it.

_"Olivia, hey, it's Rose. I'm sorry if I scared you by running out after you, but I really want to talk to you. It's very important. I'll see if I catch you at HQ tomorrow._ A pause._ I really loved red vines as a child. Okay, bye."_

Olivia pulled out her earpiece and stared at it like she had never seen it before in her life. Had Rose been trying to say what she thought she had said? A hint of regret hit Olivia. She should have stopped to talk to Rose. But… she had to go. She had to get _home_.

And since she didn't have the others helping her this time, she had no clue if she could take people with her or not. She seriously doubted it.

_I'm sorry, Rose,_ Olivia thought, and threw the earpiece overboard.

"Okay, cut the engine," Olivia said, gauging the distance. "Henry, don't worry. Just stick to the same bearings on your way out, and you won't run into any of their patrols."

He gave her a skeptical look. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because I memorized the routes when I escaped from there," Olivia said, looking up at him. He silently said '_Ohhh,'_ with a sarcastic facial expression as she stood.

They both gazed up at the tall bronze woman, the symbol of freedom and liberty. How…ironic. "How you plan on getting up there?" he asked.

"I'll manage. Thank you... for everything."

"Hey, I just borrowed a boat," Henry said.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "You believed in me." _Even when I didn't believe in myself._ Olivia walked to the edge of the boat.

Henry spoke up. "You got me all the way out here. You might as well tell me –where is it you're from?"

She looked back at him and smiled. "I'm from a parallel universe."

He stared at her.

She made a face that was supposed to convey, _"I know; crazy, right?"_ and dove off the side of the boat, making for the island.

* * *

The water was cold, but she had expected that. She gritted her teeth and bore it, scaling the seawall and the chain link fence to get inside the building. The security detail was pretty much the same as last time –there was one close call that had her heart jumping in her chest, but other than that, fine. She had to remember not to drip on the floor, though. And, joy to the world! The keycards over here were impervious to water. She slipped inside the lab with her gun at the ready.

No one was there. It made things easier, as well. Her photographic memory helped her remember just what the techs and scientists did to prep the tank. The computer began to initiate the sequence. Olivia scaled the stairs and crouched above the tank, pulling the cap off of the syringe she held and holding it with her teeth

_You'd think, after all this time, I'd be used to this, _she thought as she inserted the needle into her arm. As the contents emptied out of the syringe, she clenched her teeth around the cap. Cold needles in her cold skin weren't fun. Tossing the syringe away, she inserted the respirator into her mouth and jumped into the tank.

The water closed over her head and she told herself, _just breathe. _With her eyes closed, she could fool herself that this was almost –almost –like Walter's lab back home. _Home,_ she thought. _Think,_ _home. No place like it. _She would even click her heels if it would get her there. _One …two…._

Her world began to shiver and shake, and Olivia had the presence of mind to pull the respirator out of her mouth before the world turned over. When her eyes opened, she was back in the gift shop in her world.

_Home. _

Olivia headed for the doors marked 'exit' and tried pushing, but they wouldn't budge. _Crossing over? Easy. Getting past a set of doors?_ _Impossible,_ Olivia thought to herself as she shook them and shivered from the cold.

"Ma'am, what are you –" Someone behind her said.

Olivia turned, surprised, and saw that it was the cleaning lady. "We're –we're closed," the woman said, pulling her headphones out of her ears.

She was staring. Olivia could feel her eyes on her wet hair and clothes. "I'm sorry. I was just, uh..." she began, but realized no explanation would work. "Would you be able to let me out?" she asked, smiling. _Please, please, please… _

Dread hit her like a wave when the walls and surroundings began to shimmer and shake. "No, no. Please, this can't be happening!" she protested. She reached out to the woman. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I need you to listen to me!" She would barely see her anymore; she needed to talk faster! "What I'm going to say is gonna sound i_nsane_, but I need you to do something for me. It's very important! Call Peter Bishop in Boston, and tell him that Olivia is trapped in another universe. Please, please–"

The world changed. She was choking in water without a respirator –no, someone was yanking her out of the tank. She had crossed back over! "No! No!" she screamed as the soldiers dragged her down the steps toward the Walter Bishop of this universe. "No! Please. Please, I don't belong here!" she yelled.

He stared at her stonily. "Sedate her."

They came at her with a syringe as she flailed in their grasp. "No! Oh, God, please let me go!"

**AN: Thanks so much for all the love! I love every single review I get! But if I got more I might remember to post faster (sorry guys!)**

**So yeah, y'all rock, and remember, if you want to see any graphics for this series, go to my tumblr! The link is on my profile :)  
**


	8. My eyes flew open

**AN: I'm so sorry! I get busy and I forget to update. FEEL FREE to bug me to update. You totally can, and it will help me a lot. Thanks for sticking with me so far! (And always let me know if you're confused, I want to make everything as clear as I can. Love y'all!)  
**

* * *

**"And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open"**

Rose had to wait to go into the Fringe HQ in the morning until her eyes died down. She had started timing them. It took roughly an hour and a half after she woke up to let them fade from their brilliant yellow into her normal brownish hue. She knew that when this had started, many months ago, it had taken only a few minutes.

What would happen if one day she woke up and her eyes stayed yellow?

She didn't like thinking about that.

When Rose finally arrived, the very first thing she did was look for Olivia. But she didn't see her. When asked, all Charlie said was, "Taking the day off, probably. Is her boyfriend back in town?" Lincoln said that he had asked the Colonel, and _he _said she took a sick leave.

Rose left another message on her earpiece, and wrestled with the bubble of unease in her gut.

She frittered away her time by signing statements, double-checking reports, and calling her parents and the Doctor to fill them in on developments. She also went to lunch with Astrid and they talked quite a bit more about the situation the world was in.

But the problem was, Astrid was biased. She was _from_ this world. Rose wanted to talk to someone who was not.

Someone who was like her.

She had asked the Colonel's secretary if she could have Olivia's address, and was informed in a snippy tone that she wasn't allowed to give out personal information. Lincoln and Charlie were on some detail or another, or she would have asked them to take her to Olivia's apartment.

Where _was_ she?

* * *

Olivia sat on the floor over her cell in the thin white hospital gown they had given her, picking at the food on the steel tray. _What an awful last meal,_ she thought to herself. Just awful. Strands of her dyed orange hair fell into her face and she stared at it, disgusted. She never wanted to see that color ever again. She was going to die in someone else's skin.

She picked up the spoon and squinted into it in the dim light, trying to see the ink stains on her face. They hadn't minded discussing their plans for her right in front of her. Not like she was a human being or anything.

The keypad on the door clicked and the lights flashed on. She turned, watching the Broyles that was not _her _Broyles walk in the cell under the long fringe of orange. They gave him a chair and shut the door, and she scooted around to face him as he sat down.

Silence reigned before he finally said quietly, "I wanted to come and see you." She glanced at the window of her cell, but no one was observing them. He continued, "Thank you for not giving me up. You easily could have."

She stared at him for a second, trying to figure out why he was here. She nodded. "How is your son?" Olivia said softly, watching his face. She wouldn't have given him up anyway. There was nothing to give up.

"He's sleeping through the night again. We owe that to you. I want you to know that I realize that," the Colonel said. _Oh,_ Olivia thought. _He owes me._ "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" he asked, twisting his at around in his hands and looking everywhere but at her face.

Her face twisted up into a strange smile as she scooted closer to him. He'd have to look at her now. "That's not why you're here," she said. "You're here to make _yourself_ more comfortable."

"Maybe."

_At least he admits it,_ Olivia thought. Her gut twisted. "Do you know what they're gonna do to me?" She asked. She pulled away the horrible orange bangs to reveal the black marker on her forehead and eye. "Why I have these marks on my forehead? They're sending me back. They're gonna swap me for _your_ Olivia. But… they're gonna _kill me first_. They're gonna _cut out my brain_... and study it." She began to plead with him. She didn't have time for pride now. "_Please_ help me. If you can get me out of here, I can get myself home!"

"I can't," he said, but she sensed a waver in him. "My world is dying because of what your side is doing to us. If I help you escape –"

"No," she corrected him, "despite what you think, my universe is _not_ at war with yours. This all began because a man came over here to _save _a boy and twenty-five years later, I came back to _save that same boy_. But if you let me die, then we will _strike back,_ and we will _fight._ But if you let me go, both universes can survive! There _must_ be another way, and I promise you I will find it."

She could see him thinking. He was weakening, considering it. "Two floors up, there's a lab there. If you can get me in there, then I can get myself back home!"

"And if you're lying?" he snapped. "You'd say anything right now because your life depends on it, but what if your side has _every intention_ of our destruction? Am I supposed to just hope you're telling me the truth?"

"If you don't trust me... then there is no hope," Olivia said. _But if he's willing to gamble –and didn't give _me _away when he could have… I've got one last chance. _"But if you aren't willing –I know I'm… it's… please tell Rose. Just tell her where I am."

The door's lock clicked and Olivia quailed at the sight of the white-coated personnel with a syringe in his hand.

"I'm sorry," Colonel Broyles said, and Olivia could hear the unspoken '_but no_' in his voice.

"Tell her," she said, grabbing his jacket. "Please –please."

He extracted her hands from his person and walked out of the room, but she was watching, and she saw him pause and turn halfway back. _Please tell Rose,_ she inwardly thought.

If this version of Broyles wouldn't help her, she would take the chance that Rose was who she said she was, and she would be willing to help. Now if he would just pass on the message…

* * *

Rose checked the time on the phone for the millionth time. Astrid said that the Colonel was going to be in the office soon… actually, Astrid had said, "The Colonel will be in his office at 1400 hours, according to his average arrival times." In non-military time, that was 2 PM. And Astrid was never wrong, really.

So Rose was almost grafted to her phone, checking the time as it inched closer and closer to 2 PM.

With two minutes to go, Colonel Broyles walked in the door and towards his office. Rose got up, slid her phone into her back pocket, and walked purposefully after him. Catching the glass door just before it closed, she walked in after him and said, "Sir, I was wondering-"

"Agent Tyler," the Colonel said, looking very surprised to see her.

"Yes, sir," Rose said, slightly confused. "I was wondering if there was any way I could contact Olivia. She hasn't been answering her phone."

"Agent Tyler… do you mind telling me why you want to talk to Olivia?" he asked, giving her a shrewd look.

"Just to clear up something I said last night," Rose told him warily. "Why, sir?"

"I need to speak with you about something," he said. "Walk with me?"

Rose nodded, confused. He led her out of his office, through the building, and outside, into the noisy city. "You must understand," he said, "that all of this is off the record and involves a huge amount of risk. I wouldn't normally ask anything like this of you, but I think the situation demands it. Are you willing to hear me out?"

Rose nodded instantly. Something was wrong; she could feel it.

His look was searching, but he said, "Listen carefully. I'm not going to tell you twice. Olivia Dunham is being held in a containment facility on Liberty Island. I need to get her out. I can't tell you any more than that."

Rose stared at him, shocked. She opened her mouth, but he cut her off.

"She asked for you, in case I wouldn't help her, but I think I'm going to need your help anyway," Broyles said. "Are you willing?"

"Of course!" Rose said. "But…why are you helping her?" _She's not from _your _universe._

"If I don't…lives will be lost. An unimaginable number. And I don't think I can live with that."

Rose nodded slowly, going over her conversations with Astrid. _A secret war with a parallel universe… which might develop into full-fledged chaos._ "How can I help?" she asked.

* * *

The voices sounded very far off to Olivia's drugged senses. "Spin her." The table she was strapped into rotated around. She should be scared. She should be fighting for her life. But she felt like her mind was wading through molasses.

"What's her heart rate?" the man asked. These drugs, whatever they were, were giving these voices a lot of reverb. Olivia blinked, staring at the floor. Her heart thumped slowly in her chest.

"Sixty resting. Should I give her more sedative?"

"No, if her heart rate lowers any more, we won't be able to preserve her organs. Why don't you go prepare the coolers in the receiving room?" Dread coiled in Olivia's stomach, but she couldn't move. She couldn't even panic. The floor was blurry. A high-pitched buzz began to whirr close by. She only thought she was able to form was, _Oh God, this is it. _

The buzz stopped as a door opened and closed. "Excuse me!" the man said in a frustrated voice. "You're not allowed to be –"

His words were cut off by a soft _thunk,_ followed by metal clatterings and bangings. The man fell into her line of vision, a small dot of red marring the pristine whiteness of his clothes.

She was spinning up again, staring up at the ceiling and two people in white scrubs.

"We don't have much time," Colonel Broyles said, as Rose helped him lift the frame off of Olivia.

Rose was muttering, "This is sick, _sick_" over and over again as she looked at the dotted lines on Olivia's skin.

Broyles said, "We have to get out of here. Come on. Get up." He shook her, but Olivia couldn't move. She couldn't feel much of anything. Her eyes were glassy, and they locked onto Rose as she tried to communicate her distress.

"It's going to be all right, Olivia," Rose said, stepping back as Broyles rummaged for a large syringe.

As he returned to stand over her, Olivia managed to whisper, "You came back for me." She was having trouble processing the fact that _he was here._

"Don't thank me yet. I have to give you adrenaline," he said, raising the syringe. "Agent Tyler, hold her."

Rose grabbed her arms as Olivia said, "Oh, no. Please don't – ahh!"She yelled as the needle entered her sternum.

* * *

_This is more like it,_ Rose thought as the three of them ran down the hallway and dashed into the elevator. She was feeling the rush of adrenaline from the run, and also the thrill and fear of what lay at the end of the run. It was like being with the Doctor again.

This was taking her one step closer.

"Whew! Wow, that hurt," Olivia said as the elevator began to move down. She rubbed her chest with the heel of her palm.

"Sorry," Broyles said, glancing at her.

Olivia smiled. "Don't be." He handed her his handkerchief, and she took it with a thankful smile.

"What's on the ground floor?" Broyles asked, looking at the button Olivia had pressed.

"The lab. They have a deprivation tank there."

"Does that help you get back?" Rose asked, watching Olivia.

"Yeah, it's something to do with the lack of sensory input," Olivia said, glancing to Rose. Their eyes met. "I got your first message, Rose. I'm sorry. I –can't take anyone with me when I cross over. I didn't want to disappoint you."

"It's all right," Rose assured her, smiling. "Can you do something for me, though?"

"Sure," Olivia said as the elevator doors slid open. "Let's get there first, though."

They ran through the hallways with Olivia in the lead, stopping in front of a darkened door. She punched in the code and opened the door. Rose turned on the lights, illuminating the pristine room.

Olivia came to a stop in front of a container holding red IV bags.

"What is it?" Broyles asked.

"I'm not positive," Olivia said, grabbing a few of the bags with her name on them, "but I think it's Cortexiphan."

"What?" Rose asked.

"It's a long story. It's a drug in my body that helps me cross over, and I think that that's why they were going to kill me. Because they had found what they wanted," Olivia said, moving to the tank and tapping something into the computer.

The black shield slid away from the tank, and Olivia pressed her palms against the clear, empty glass. "They emptied the tank," she whispered. "I –I can't cross over." She stared at Rose with a look of horror on her face, and all of them jumped as alarms began to sound.

"We have to get out of here!" Rose said, moving towards the door.

"No, you two go. I can get away –I can swim for it. I've done it before," Olivia said. "I can get to Boston then."

"What's in Boston?" The Colonel demanded.

"There's a lab at Harvard, the secretary's old lab. He'll have a tank I can use," she explained, gathering up the IV bags and other drugs.

"How do you know that?" Broyles asked.

"Well, my Walter does, so he must, too. They're exactly the same –they think alike. I can't think of anything else –"

"They've changed the harbor patrols," The colonel interrupted. "You won't make it. But I can get you there."

Both women stared at him.

"You'd do that?" Olivia asked, surprised.

"Don't stand around, Olivia," Rose said, grabbing her sleeve. "We've got to go."

"How will we get past security, though?" Olivia said.

"Leave that to me," Rose said with a secret smile on her face. She could feel strength and something else, something powerful, filling up her bones. Somehow she knew that this was the turning point. Things were going to change.

* * *

The psychic paper worked like a charm, just like it did on the first two guards. He was sufficiently outranked by whatever the psychic paper told him Rose was that he abandoned his post and went to join a supposed detail on the other side of the island. Rose waved Broyles and Olivia over, and was then very impressed by Olivia's abilities to hotwire cars.

Then they were moving towards Boston.


	9. I could find my way back

**AN: hey look I'M UPDATING! I keep telling y'all to bug me to update okay. it's okay. There's only one chapter after this, and then I'm going to force myself to use the rest of November to write the rest of part 3 and edit it so if you don't see part three pop up in December, feel free to bug me about THAT :D I now present chapter nine.**

* * *

**'I knew that somehow I could find my way back'**

Colonel Broyles was a fast driver, but not so fast that it would attract police attention. Olivia rubbed away the black marks on her face with the handkerchief he had given her as she sat in the passenger's seat, ready to give directions when they got to Boston. Rose was in the back, making a call.

"Do you think that's wise?" Broyles asked when she pulled her phone out.

Rose shook it. "They can't track it," she said. "A bit of jiggery-pokery my friend worked out." She smiled as she dialed, and Olivia smiled along with her, even though she didn't know the joke.

"Hello, dad," Rose said. "I guess you aren't in. Just to let you know, if you don't hear from me by tonight, you should probably assume that I've been caught doing somethin' stupid an' come bail me out. It's a good stupid, though. I'm… helping a friend get home." She ended the call.

Olivia asked what she had wanted to know ever since Rose had whipped out the paper on the island. "How did you get the guards to do what you wanted? Nothing was on that sheet of paper."

Rose stared at her, surprised. "It's psychic paper. It tells people wha'ever I want it to. But it takes a strong mind to see through it."

"Psychic paper," Olivia repeated, one side of her face quirking into a smile. "Really?"

Rose nodded.

"I wasn't aware that UNIT had that," Olivia said, laughing. As soon as she started, she realized that she hadn't laughed –really _laughed_ –in a long time. It was very freeing.

"Well, I'm not really with UNIT," Rose said casually. "Since we're baring all secrets an' such, I guess I can tell you. I work for Torchwood."

"Never heard of it," Olivia said.

"I have," Broyles said unexpectedly. "They took care of the Cybermen a few years back. And some strange things were hushed up in Britain that led to dead ends with Torchwood."

"Yep," Rose said. "We deal with mostly aliens."

"Aliens?" Broyles said, startled, almost jerking the car out of the lane.

Olivia thought about it, and was slightly resigned when she realized that it wasn't much of a stretch. "We have parallel universes, why not aliens?" she asked rhetorically.

"Olivia," Rose said, leaning forward. Olivia turned her body so that she could look at Rose properly. "I know you can't take people with you when you …'cross over'… but can you take a message?"

"Sure," Olivia said. "What is it?"

Rose frowned. "I need you to find a man called the Doctor."

"Okay…?" Olivia said.

"It's… kind of hard to do," Rose said. "Easier if I told you someone who might be able to find him. He can help you –help both worlds."

"I've got a photographic memory," Olivia said. "If you write it down and show it to me, I'll remember the instructions."

"Okay," Rose said. "Is there anything I can write with?"

"Pens are considered retro over here," Olivia said with a grimace, rummaging around the glove box. "Don't ask me why."

"What if I wrote it on my phone?" Rose suggested.

"That'd work," Olivia agreed.

Rose pulled out her iphone 5 and began to type on the touch screen.

"I take it that you're from Olivia's world as well," Broyles said. "How did you cross over?"

Rose nodded, intent on her screen. "It's a long story, really. It has to do with the man I told you about, the Doctor. But it's hard to explain."

"What happens when we get to Boston?" Broyles asked Olivia.

She thought about it, looking at the dead trees out the window of the car. "We go to Harvard and find the lab. If I'm lucky, there'll be the tank there. We'll probably need to fill it, and I'll probably have to dose myself," she said, glancing down at the red IV bags at her feet. More needles. Some days she thought her cause of death would be death by puncture.

"Then what?"

Olivia shrugged. "I cross over."

"So you just… disappear from over here?" Broyles clarified with her.

She nodded, pursing her lips. "I …don't know how to thank you –both of you."

Broyles stared at the destruction on either side of the road as the car approached the partially ambered city of Boston. "Just promise me that you'll do whatever you can to stop this."

"I promise," Olivia said strongly. And she meant it.

Rose stopped typing on her phone and flexed her fingers. Olivia had never been a fast texter, preferring a short, clipped conversation to the time it took to type out what she wanted to say. "Okay," Rose said. "I gave you the cliff notes. Do you want me to explain it to you before you read it?"

"Sure," Olivia said. Anything to fight off the nerves that were beginning to flutter in her stomach as Boston loomed on the horizon.

"Okay," Rose said. "You need to find a man called the Doctor, but it's hard to do. The easiest way is to call the Torchwood in our universe. I've written the number down. Ask for Captain Jack Harkness, and tell him you're my friend. If he's suspicious, ask him if he remembers that time on Satellite Five. But don't let him flirt with you. He's somewhat notorious for that."

"Torchwood, Captain Jack Harkness, Satellite Five," Olivia said. "Got it."

"If anyone would have a way of contacting the Doctor, he would. But sometimes the Doctor doesn't always get the timing right," Rose muttered. "Keep an eye out for a blue police box."

"Okay," Olivia said, now slightly confused. "Why?"

"If that's nearby, then the Doctor is, too," Rose said.

"Does this guy have a name?" Olivia said.

Rose shook her head. "No. Just 'the Doctor'. When you find him, tell him everything you know about why the world is fallin' apart. He can help, and he's tried to fix it before, but he needs to know the source of the problem. An'…"

Here Rose hesitated, tapping her phone against her jeans nervously. "You need to tell him to get me and bring me back. He might not want to, 'cause sometimes he thinks his way's best and he knows it all, but mostly he's being stupid."

"If he doesn't want to bring you back, how can I convince him?" Olivia asked. "Why doesn't he want you to?"

"All of my family is over 'ere now," Rose said, and Olivia now noticed that her accent had gotten thicker on the car ride. "I'm actually officially dead in your world. But I don't belong over here," Rose said.

"I know what you mean," Olivia whispered. "I know the feeling."

Rose slowly smiled. "Who do you belong with, Olivia?"

Olivia stared at her hands, rubbing them together absently. "His name is Peter," she whispered.

Rose nodded in understanding. "Tell him," she decided, "'the Song has changed Hands'. Hopefully he'll get it." She added it to the bottom of the text.

"I'll help him out if he doesn't," Olivia said. "Can I see the phone now?"

Rose handed it over, and Olivia scanned the text on the screen carefully, closing her eyes to make sure she could see it in her mind and wouldn't forget it. She couldn't take Rose home, but she would carry her message. She was given a trust, and she had to prove faithful to this friend she had only met a few days ago. When she was sure she had it, she gave the phone back and Rose erased it.

"Where do I go from here?" Broyles asked, entering Boston. Olivia sat up and looked ahead, clenching her hands to her sides. It was time.

* * *

The lab was right by an amber site. Rose was amazed it hadn't been included in the protocols. Olivia led the way into the building, and Rose coughed on the strong dust smell the building carried. The lab was down in the basement; Olivia knew what she was looking for, and bypassed many white sheet-coated objects to find something specific. She threw off the sheet –and probably five years worth of dust –to reveal something that looked more like a large metal box with doors than a tank. Olivia pulled open the doors, which squeaked on rusty hinges, and looked in.

Colonel Broyles asked the question Rose was thinking. "So what do we do now?"

"Find a hose," Olivia said. "And salt. I need to float."

"I saw the hose," Rose said, going for it.

"I'll take care of the salt," Broyles said.

Rose undid the fire hose (she thought that's what it was) from its place on the wall and ran it over to the tank, turning it on. The tank began to fill with water as she and Olivia helped Broyles search through the storage room and the lab for salt of some kind. They finally found large (dusty) bags of rock salt in the corner of the storage room. Pouring in liberal amounts, Rose only stopped when the water reached the fill line.

"It should be salty enough to be the Dead Sea," Rose said, as Broyles filled a syringe from the IV bags they had brought.

Olivia turned off the hose. "Okay, I think that's it."

The sound of banging doors upstairs and rapid footsteps made all of them start. "They're here," Olivia said, and Rose could see the fear she had kept inside all afternoon rise to the surface. "How did they find us?"

Broyles exhaled angry, and showed Olivia his wrist. "Subcutaneous tracker. I'm too important to lose. I didn't think they'd catch on so quickly, though."

Rose didn't say it, but she inwardly was yelling, _And you didn't think to mention this before?!_ Her heart began to pound, and her fingers started to tingle.

He continued, "Look, I've seen war. But if what you're saying is true, in the end, I have to believe in hope. Please make this worth it." He drew his gun and went for the doors. "I'll hold them off as long as I can. Go!"

Rose leapt into action, injecting Olivia with the drug and steadying her as she climbed into the tank. They could hear the squad team or whoever it was yelling for Broyles to stand down, and bullets rang out.

Rose found that she wasn't scared. She was incredibly, incredibly angry.

"Rose, I don't think I can do this," Olivia said as she floated in the salt water.

"Yes, you can," Rose said. "You can! You've got to. Remember, Olivia. _Remember."_ Her mind seemed to splinter, almost like a wall, letting a crack of daylight through it. Olivia's eyes widened as she stared up at her, but Rose didn't pay attention. "You have to get back, because you don't belong here. You belong with _him_." With that, Rose shut the lids to the tank.

She could feel the power flooding her mind, rattling her bones. It was hard to see now. Everything was so _bright. _

The squad team burst through the doors, guns at the ready. "Hands in the air! Don't move!"

"_Everything must come to dust,_" Rose whispered, and her voice had the dissonance it had oh, so long ago on that lonely Satellite when she became a paradox, or the paradox became her, and the Wolf was born. She raised her hand into the air.

"Freeze, or we shoot!" the team leader yelled.

"_All things,_" she whispered.

And then she could not see anything at all.

* * *

"Well?" The secretary questioned, as soon as his earpiece indicated there was a call coming in.

"Sir, the girl crossed over. Colonel Broyles is dead. We have the agent from UNIT in custody. What should we do about the exchange?"

Thinking fast, Secretary Bishop said, "Use Colonel Broyles's body. Make sure the masses are equal."  
"But, sir –"

"He is a traitor, and that is what traitors deserve," he snapped. "Is there anything else?"

"The agent from unit was taken into custody, but before that… sir, she turned the bullets in our guns to dust. None of the men has any idea how she did it."

"Interesting," the Secretary said. "Take her to Liberty Island. And this time, use better security measures."

* * *

The sounds of the soldiers were gone. Everything was quiet. Did she dare to hope…?

Cautiously, Olivia shoved back the lid of the deprivation tank. Her arms were shaky from the drugs, but she managed to lift herself up and out, standing unsteadily by the tank. She looked up and met the familiar and oh-so-comforting eyes of Astrid Farnsworth, her assistant, who promptly dropped whatever glass bottles she was carrying. "Olivia…?" Astrid said, shock and amazement crossing her face.

_I'm back,_ Olivia thought. _I'm home!_ She smiled widely, and promptly passed out.

* * *

When Olivia woke up, she was in a hospital room with the one person she wanted to see most in the whole wide world. "Peter," she whispered.

He took her hand and said, "I'm sorry, 'Livia."

"Don't apologize," she said, smiling. "You were the only thing that got me through. If it wasn't for you, I would never have made it back. You saved my life."

He didn't speak, only kissed her forehead tenderly.

"I think I want to sleep some more," she whispered, still feeling very tired.

"I'll be here when you wake up."

* * *

**PS- IN OTHER NEWS, I MADE A VIDEO ON IMOVIE TO GO ALONG WITH THIS CHAPTER! It's on my tumblr. I'm going to upload it super super soon. :D**


	10. Time goes quicker

**"And Time goes quicker between the two of us"**

"Has she said anything?" The Secretary of Defense asked, walking up to the window of the dark cell.

"No, sir. She isn't speaking."

"Hmm." He thought in silence for a bit, and then said, "Turn the light on."

As the bright light flashed on, the blond woman inside the cell winced at the sudden glare, but other than that, made no reaction to his presence other than a slight lift to her chin.

He watched her for a moment or two more before commanding, "Shut it off."

The cell plunged into darkness once again.

"She is to be allowed no contact with her agency," the Secretary said. "As of right now, she is considered a threat to national security and is to be contained at all costs."

"Yes, sir," the lackey said.

Inside the cell, the corner of Rose's mouth twitched. Like that would stop Torchwood.

* * *

"Are you sure you feel up to this?" Astrid asked, handing Olivia her phone.

"Astrid, if I don't feel up to making a phone call, why would the doctors be discharging me?" Olivia asked, grinning.

"Just making sure," Astrid said, holding up her hands. "I think Peter and Walter are down at the lab. Walter's cooking something for you."

"Oh, joy," Olivia said, giggling.

"I'm sure Peter won't let him make anything disagreeable," Astrid said with a smile. "Okay, once you make this phone call, we can go. And I still say you can make it later."

"No," Olivia said. "The sooner the better. I have to keep this promise." She slowly tapped the number ingrained in her memory into the phone, and held it to her ear.

The distant ringing on the other end of the line kept time with the beat of her heart.

"Hello?" a woman's voice answered the phone, sounding surprised.

"Hello," Olivia said, "My name is Olivia Dunham, and I need to speak with Captain Jack Harkness. Is he there?"

"How did you get this number?" the woman countered, suspicion entering into the surprise. Her accent sounded very definitely Welsh.

"It was given to me by a friend. Please, it's urgent that I speak with him," Olivia said.

The phone seemed to change hands, and a new male voice said, "Who is this?" in an American accent.

_Weird,_ Olivia thought. "I'm Agent Olivia Dunham, and if you are Captain Jack Harkness, I need your help."

"Who gave you this number?"

"A friend named Rose Tyler."

"You're lying," he said flatly. "Rose Tyler is dead."

"In this universe, maybe," Olivia countered. That seemed to shut him up. Olivia continued, "She told me to ask you if you remembered 'that time on Satellite Five.' Does that mean something to you?"

"Yeah," he said, with a measure of emotion in his voice. "It does. So how is Rose?"

"I hope she's all right," Olivia said honestly. "She might have gotten into some trouble for me. And that's another reason I need your help. She thought you might have some way of contacting a man called the Doctor."

"He's hard to get a hold of," Jack said. "But there are a few things I could try. Why do you need him?"

Olivia licked her lips. "Ahh…"

"If you need the Doctor, something has to be really wrong," Jack said. "Just as a general rule of thumb."

"Our world is falling apart," Olivia said. "And I need his help to put it back together."

"Fair enough," Jack said. "If I get a hold of him, where should I send him?"

"I work for the FBI in Fringe Division, and our base right now is a lab in Harvard University. If you could send him my way, that would be wonderful," Olivia said, crossing her fingers.

"How much did Rose tell you about the Doctor, just out of curiosity?" Jack asked.

"Not much," Olivia admitted. "There wasn't a lot of time for explanations. Can you –"

"Oh, no," Jack said, laughing. "I wouldn't dream of spoiling your surprise. And –Olivia, was it?" he asked, a slightly flirtations tone entering his voice.

"Yes, Olivia Dunham. And Rose also told me not to let you flirt," Olivia said.

Jack laughed again. "Now I really believe you. Okay, Agent Dunham. I'll do my best to find the Doctor for you."

"Thank you so much," Olivia said.

"Keep a sharp eye out," he said, and then the phone disconnected.

"All done?" Astrid asked. She had been watching Olivia's face during the whole conversation.

"Yep," Olivia said, handing the phone back with a smile. "I'm ready to go home."

**The end…for now.**

**A Way through the Worlds will be concluded in Part Three**

**(Which will be up when I finish writing it. Y'all are the best! Have a great Thanksgiving, my US peeps.)  
**


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